INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Manmohan Singh said it was important to contain growing economic inequality
the Panjab University, his alma mater, in Chandigarh, Dr Singh also said a "dangerous and false binary" of choosing between freedom and
development was surfacing in the country's political discourse and that it must be rejected.He expressed concern over the alleged attempts
being made to divide people."I need not dwell long on the current deep concern that attempts are being made to divide the Indian people on
the basis of religion and caste, language and culture
Atrocities against minorities and Dalits are increasing
If unchecked, these tendencies can only harm our democracy
As a people, we must strongly reject divisive policies and politics," he said.The former prime minister asserted that freedom of a country
did not just mean the freedom of its government
"It is the freedom of people, which, in turn is not the freedom only of its privileged and powerful, but the freedom of every
The only constraint to freedom must be the freedom of others
In other words, the freedom of one person or a group should not be used to constrain the freedom of other individuals or groups," he
added.He stressed that without a firm commitment to this idea of freedom, democracy would not survive.Invoking BR Ambedkar, he said there
was a need to reassert commitment to maintain India's freedom and Independence."We must preserve strategic autonomy in decision-making
processes and resist the temptation of rich rewards gained by becoming a tool in the great games of big powers in the pursuit of their
We need to rebuild our commitment to maintaining India's freedom and Independence, based on individual freedom and independence of every
Indian citizen," Dr Singh said.A dangerous and false binary "that we have to choose between freedom and development" was surfacing in the
Indian political discourse, he said, "which must be firmly rejected"."The argument was put to Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of our Nation, that
good governance and development are better than swaraj (self rule)," he said, adding, that the people of the country firmly rejected the
idea advanced by colonial forces."It (freedom) is, as our founding fathers proclaimed early in our freedom struggle, 'our birth right' on
which we shall never compromise
Growth, wealth and development are fruits of democracy, not substitutes," he said.The noted economist also said it was important to maintain
strong focus on containing growing economic inequality."While economic growth remains a high priority for the country, there is now a
growing concern that the concomitant commitment to ensuring that disparities and inequality do not grow is weakening
This can be a serious potential threat to our democracy."What is required is stronger social and political reawakening to the principle of
equality - social, economic and political - for the sake of equality and as a mark of our commitment to democracy
In the short term, pro-equality policies may make growth more expensive, but the growing inequality is, in the long term, a far greater
Independence - Strengthening the roots of our Democracy
Mr Rangnekar was one of the founders of the economics department of the university.
